1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, a system and a device for data communication between a sender and a plurality of recipients at least partly taking place over a data network such as a computer network. The provided method, system and device can particularly used for interactive multimedia systems such as interactive television game shows.
2. Description of the Related Art
Interactive multimedia system refers to any computer-delivered electronic system that allows the user to control, combine, and manipulate different types of media, such as text, sound, video, computer graphics, and animation. Interactive multimedia integrate a computer, a memory storage, digital (binary) data, a telephone, a television, and other information technologies. Their most common applications include training programs, video games, electronic encyclopedias, and travel guides. Interactive multimedia shift the user""s role from observer to participant and are considered the next generation of electronic information systems.
The most common multimedia machine consists of a personal computer. Many systems also integrate a handheld tool, e.g., a control pad or joystick, that is used to communicate with the computer. Such systems permit users to interact with the system.
Among the interactive multimedia systems under commercial development by the mid-1990s were cable television services with computer interfaces that enable viewers to interact with television programs. Such television programs are advantageously broadcast by high-speed interactive audiovisual communications systems that rely on digital data from fiber optic lines or digitized wireless transmissions.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,936,661 an interactive television game system is known. More particularly, a method is known how to enable viewers to take part in a television quiz show with studio participants using an interactive television system. The taught method comprising the steps of transmitting, live, a quiz show in which questions are asked of studio participants, transmitting answers to the questions at an appropriate time in the program, transmitting a signal which determines a time during which viewers are allowed to answer the questions, allocating scores to correctly answered questions, at a given time during the quiz show, inviting viewers who have accumulated a qualifying score to take part, live, in the quiz show with the studio participants, providing each of the invited viewers with a communication link to the studio to enable live participation, receiving answers in real time from the invited viewers for the remainder of the quiz show and accumulating the scores of both the invited viewers and the studio participants to determine the winner.
Furthermore, a television receiver is provided for use in an interactive television system, the television receiver comprising means for receiving a television signal representing a quiz show, means for receiving, via an auxiliary data channel, answers to each question posed in the quiz show, means for enabling a viewer to answer each question posed, means for comparing the viewer""s answer with a correct answer and allocating a score for that answer on the basis of the result of the comparison, means for accumulating the scores for each of the questions, means for receiving a signal inviting viewers whose accumulated scores at least reach a given value, to participate live in the remainder of the quiz show, and means for requesting participation in the rest of the show if the accumulated score reaches the given value.
However, the majority of the methods and systems providing interactive television or interactive radio broadcasting have in common that at a particular instant of time the viewers are invited to respond to the show, i.e., to answer a question, to make a selection or to vote for something or somebody. Having a large number of viewers, the communication system used for data communication has to cope with a large number of responses being returned in a very short period of time, i.e., practically at the same instant of time.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method, a system and a device that can cope with such a peak load.
The foregoing object is achieved by a method, a system and a device for data communication between a sender and a plurality of recipients at least partly taking place over a data network according to the present invention. Advantageously, it can be used for interactive multimedia systems such as interactive television game shows. Furthermore, the method, system and device in accordance with the present invention can be employed for electronically collecting market survey data.
More particularly, the same method and system are described respectively. Since more than one party is involved in the communication and the exchange of data in accordance with the present invention, the invention is claimed described from the perspective of each of the different participants.
First, the sender transmits over the data network a first message that contains a return address and information about the length of a first period of time. Furthermore, the first message causes a response message being sent to the return address by one of the plurality of recipients to be delayed for a random period of time, the length of which being derived from the length of the first period of time. In return, each recipient receives the first message over the data network.
Then, the sender broadcasts a second message asking the plurality of recipients for a response message. After having received the second message, each recipient taking part in the interactive communication with the sender responds to the second message by initiating a response message to be sent. The response message is delayed for a random delay time. The length of the random delay time is derived from the length of the provided first period of time, e.g., it is at most as long as the length of the first period of time. After that, the response message is transmitted to the return address over the data network.
However, without departing from the spirit of the invention, the first and the second message can alternatively be transmitted practically at the same time or the content of the first and the second message can be transmitted using one single message.
Finally, the sender waits for at least a second period of time measured from the time of sending the second message for the response messages to arrive at the return address. The length of the second period of time is at least as long as the length of the first period of time.
A major advantage of the method, system and device according to the present invention is a reduction of a peak load caused by the plurality of response messages to the network and server, since the response messages are not sent immediately after they have been initiated, but each after waiting a random delay time. Hence, the plurality of response messages are basically equally spread over a period of time having the length of the first period of time specified by the sender. Therefore, the peak load is considerably reduced.
However, in an advantageous embodiment the length of the first period of time is determined by dividing an estimated number of expected response messages by a number of response messages that the network and the server can handle in a given period of time. This will lower the peak load to an amount the network and server are able to cope with at the same time causing a minimum time delay only.
Another advantage of the present invention is the fact that television stations presenting interactive game shows do not need to provide or rent an infrastructure having a high bandwidth, because the method, system and device according to the present invention reduce the maximum load that a server is required to support, thus allowing current generation servers to handle games for numbers of clients that would not be possible otherwise.